Marlton Softball: Coach's Tip
Using the Power Line
If you are working with a pitcher and you are the one catching for her, it's tough to see exactly what is going on with the stride foot when it touches down. You are around 40 feet or so away and, let's face it, you have a ball coming at your nose at 45 to 60mph.
With 99% of your attention devoted to catching the ball and not getting hit, it is very hard to try and focus on the pitcher's feet to see exactly where she is on the power line. Unless something is DRASTICALLY off, you probably won't see it.
To check a pitcher on the power line most folks will take their shoe and draw a fat line in the dirt right in front of the rubber. This is OK and it will help the pitcher, however, it seldom gives the person catching a good point of reference to see EXACTLY where the foot comes down. There is a lot of room for error.
When I have a pitching student that I want to 'fine tune' them, ( because of problems staying on the power line) here is what I do.
-I will drive a 16 penny nail into the dirt just behind the back tip of home plate. I will use a roll of bright colored construction twine and stretch it tightly from that nail at the back tip of home plate, to the front of 2nd base. This will place the twine going over the exact center of the pitcher's rubber. I leave the twine lying on the dirt in that straight line.
-I will then drive a 16 penny nail, touching the twine, about 10 feet in front of the rubber.
-Then I drive nails just behind the rubber and just in front of 2nd base.
-Then I stretch the string from home plate to the next nail in front of the rubber and tie them off so the twine is taught.
-Then I let the string go loose and all the way around the edge of the circle (so it is not in the pitcher's way of throwing) and tie it to the nail behind the rubber.
-I then stretch the twine taught to the nail in front of 2nd base and tie it off there.
Now we have a taught power line from home plate to second base, except for the 10 feet just in front of the rubber.
Have you pitcher take a pitching position with the power line exactly under the center of her body, feet equally far from the power line to each side.
IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE TO CATCH as your pitcher is throwing, take a position about 8 feet in front of 2nd base and get down on one knee or sit on the power line to where your eyes are directly over it. Do not move the twine
while sitting or kneeling.
Have the pitcher throw the same pitch several times and focus only on the legs and especially the feet.
Having a thin and bright colored power line behind the pitcher will give you an exact reference point and you will see exactly where the stride foot comes down in relationship to the power line and any inconsistencies with the feet.
End On Time
Softball is not all total concentration or a constant onslaught of drills, drills and more drills. There is a time to have some fun and still learn or polish some skills. I like to use the end of practice for a fun game that can create some team bonding while still focusing on softball fundamentals.
One of the best games I have used is called "Barney Bop". The tools needed are a sturdy chair, a large stuffed toy (I use Barney, hence the name) and preferably a backstop or net to place behind the target. Start by placing "Barney" in the chair and if needed, prop him up to get him about 3-4 feet off the ground and place the chair with Barney straddling 1st base. Place a net behind the chair. Now divide your team up into 2 groups and have them line up in 2 columns at the shortstop position. Have the 1st player from team 1 take the first play. Hit a grounder the player 1. She must cleanly field the ball and make a throw to 1st base trying to knock Barney out of the chair. If this is done, her team scores 1 point. Then the 1st player from team 2 takes the next play and does the same thing. Do this until all of the players have had at least one turn. You can move the players from shortstop to 2nd base and do the same game. I have also had the players set up out in the outfield and place the chair at 2nd base to teach a good throw to 2nd. Try to have some type of prize for the winning team, like not carrying the equipment or something like that.
Another game I like is called "3, 2, 1, Run". In this game, again divide the team up into 2 teams. One team is at bat and one team is lined up behind 3rd base. Take 3 balls and line them up at intervals of about 5-7 feet apart from 3rd base toward home plate. They should end about half way between 3rd base and home plate. The team at home is called team 1 and the ones on defense are team 2. Have the 1st player from team 2 stand on 3rd base with her glove while the 1st player from team 1 is at home plate. When the coach says, "Go", the defensive player must run to the 1st ball, pick it up and make a throw to a teammate standing at 2nd base (I have a bucket there to drop the balls into), then go to the 2nd ball and do the same thing and on to the 3rd ball. The player at home starts running at the sound of "Go" and runs to 1st base and on to 2nd. The object of this game is to throw all 3 balls to the defensive player at 2nd base before the offensive player gets there. This is a LOT harder than it sounds, but it teaches making fast, accurate throws while under pressure.
After all members of each team have had a turn, switch places. You may have to adjust the distance between balls to make it fair for each team.
Peel Drop Ball
The straight or peel drop ball is the easiest to throw, easiest to teach and one of the most effective pitches in a pitcher's arsenal, yet it is often the most overlooked pitch due to the pure nature of the release needed to make this pitch move. I have heard many pitchers say to me, "Coach, I was told that I will never be able to throw a peel drop so lets just not waste our time." To this I say, "Balderdash!!" I feel that every pitcher should be able to throw every pitch, no if's and's or but's about it!
Here is the way I teach the peel drop. Get some objects similar in shape to a hockey puck. A roll of batter's tape, a hockey puck itself, a roll of candy that comes in a shape of a hockey puck, get the idea? Get a few things like this and a ball with a stripe down the middle of it. I also like to use a weighted ball with a stripe down the middle for short range work.
Have the pitcher stand 8-10 feet away from you, and have her stand in a position sideways to you with her stride already taken. Have her take the hockey puck shaped object and place her middle finger directly underneath the object. Now, using the slingshot method of delivery (arm straight back, then forward, and release) have her throw you a pitch VERY SLOWLY!! Check the position of the object. If the ball is released straight off the fingers, the object should fly through the air in an upright position. If not, have her move up close to you. Have her hold her middle finger directly under the object and let it roll off her fingertips and out of her hand to the ground. This is the proper release. Have her get back in her position and try it again. The proper release is straight off the fingertips and up. Try the different objects, because sometimes a pitcher learns better with one object than another. Get to the point where she can release the object and have it fly straight up and down through the air towards you.
The follow through is straight back and up. I tell my pitchers, "Pat yourself on the back for throwing such a nice pitch". Corny, I know, but make sure they are patting themselves on the pitching side, not the other side.
If she is still having problems with this release there are a couple of things going on. The first one is that she may have been trying to work on her riseball and so the ball is released off of her pointer and thumb. If this is the case, have her curl her pointer up a bit to force the ball back down into the hand more (so it is towards the little finger more). She will not throw like this in a game or anything, this just teaches her to get used to the feeling of the ball down in her hand and the release off her middle finger. Also, you can have her hold the ball in her hand in front of her. Now have her toss it up in the air letting it roll off her fingertips. Watch the line. It should be straight up and down. Tell her that this is the correct release.
After she is pretty good at this release, introduce the striped ball (I like heavy balls for this close work). Have her still do the slingshot delivery but slowly. If she can do this without any problem, have her take a regulation ball and try the same thing but using a slow windmill. If this is ok, have her take a few steps back and try it again. Have her continue to do this until she is at regulation distance. Make sure the rotation is correct. This is all you are looking for right now, the correct rotation. Have her throw 15 or 20 pitches like this to make sure she has got the rotation correct. A few of them may even drop.
Now have her come close to you again. Explain that the body weight must be forward on her stride foot for this pitch to drop. Have her try this close up throwing very slowly. Have her shorten her stride and go with the weight on her front foot. If this is not a problem, have her go back to regulation distance and throw some. I suggest that you wear shin guards for this. If the ball is not dropping, there may be a couple of things going on. Check the rotation of the ball. If it is ok, the go on to the next step. If not, correct it.
This is a great visual for teaching this pitch. Take a stand sideways to your pitcher so that she can see your weight distribution. Now stand with your stride already taken and your body weight evenly balanced between your two feet. Tell her this is a fastball. Now, shorten your stride and lean a little forward from your heels and tell her this is a drop ball. Weight on the forward foot and body "going with the weight". Tell her, "The release is the same as a fastball, but the body is at a different angle." This is what the pitchers can understand as far as the body weight is concerned.
Some pitchers pull their hand back as they release the ball to give it more rotation. This is like the magician who slips the tablecloth off the table while the dishes are sitting on top of it. If this is helpful to you, great. A lot of other pitchers "short arm" this pitch. If this works, great! Each pitcher is an individual and should be treated as such. Try everything.
The main thing in this ball is to have the proper rotation and the proper weight distribution.
If you follow these instructions, you will be throwing great drop balls that drop straight down and are extremely hard to hit.
Take Aim With Your Glove
Many coaches and players overlook the importance the glove hand plays in the ability to control the ball when pitching. When you watch a pitcher, a lot of times all you do is hear the slap of the glove on the thigh and think that the glove is used only as a way to make some noise, in order to perhaps distract the batter, or time the release of the ball. While it can do these things, the main job of the glove in pitching is to aim the ball.
In the normal delivery, the hands separate and the ball hand moves back and up in a rocker motion. For some pitchers, this motion is shortened and they come right out of the glove. After this motion, both hands come forward with the glove hand pointing directly at the target as the stride is taken. This motion does a couple of different things. The motion of the hands going forward as the stride is being taken helps move the body forward and helps elongate the stride, but the important job here is the aiming. If your pitcher is having problems with control, this is one area I would take a long look at. This motion happens so quickly it is tough to see sometimes, but it is always there in good pitchers. Make sure your pitcher is pointing her glove at the target with the wrist pointing up, which will in turn point the glove webbing straight up.
A lot of pitchers get lazy, overlooking this mechanic, and then wonder what happened to their control. If the wrist on the glove hand is pointing to one side, chances are very good that they will be throwing to that side of the plate. Video tape your pitcher if you cannot see this motion and run it back slowly. Watch the placement of the glove, the angle of it, and the angle of the wrist.
The majority of control problems I see are directly related to 2 areas. The release of the ball is incorrect due to the pitcher working on the riseball, (that is another discussion for another time), and the pitcher not using her glove to aim at the target. Make sure these two areas are correct and your pitcher will have much better control, and, in turn, will be more effective.
Straight Line Pick 'Em
Take the fielders and line them up in a straight line. With plenty of space in between each one, line them up one behind the other away from the coach. Number each player such that the first person is number one, second is number two, and so on.
To execute the drill, the coach hits a hard grounder and calls one of the numbers at the same time. That number must field it, while the others step out of the way. The coach should randomly vary the numbers, so that each fielder has a chance to field a grounder and none can predict whose turn it is.
This drill teaches quick reflexes and clear thinking under pressure.
Movement
To work on movement pitches, I have my pitchers stand in a line a short distance from me in a power position (stride taken) and softly toss the ball using the proper rotation for peel drop, roll drop, and rise ball. While doing this, emphasize the proper weight distribution. This is the most important aspect of throwing a breaking pitch. For drop balls, the weight must be on the front foot at release. For rise balls, the weight must be on the trail foot and release must be against a firm and resistant front foot.
After 10 to 15 pitches from this distance, we move back to about 25 feet and throw at about 50% speed. We throw 10 to 15 pitches at this distance.
Finally we move to the regulation distance and throw 10 to 15 pitches at full speed. Make sure that at each distance, the rotation and weight distribution is correct. If not, correct it immediately, before moving on to the next distance. At first, do not be concerned with accuracy. This will come with reps.
After all these pitches have been thrown, I have the pitchers throw peel drop, roll drop, change-up, fastball and rise ball in that order to feel the difference in pitches.
Finally I give the pitchers 10 pitches to hit 8 spots. I hold my glove at a certain location and the pitch has to hit it without moving the glove. If they hit these locations in the 10 pitches or less, they are done, if not, they must go to the end of the line and try again. Peer pressure works wonders here. I have the pitchers throw over hand again to cool down once practice is done.
Position Cards
We put these drills on 5x8 index cards and laminate them, to water proof them. Some days at practice we hand them out to players who play each position. They work on these drills for about 15-20 minutes with the other players who play that position. These Position cards enable a coach to concentrate on helping one or two positions, as the kids should not require a lot of supervision. One thing we absolutely do is put our Freshman team and our JV team with the Varsity team for this session a lot and put our Senior players in charge.
You can modify them for any level of ball. On some cards, one position may need to be coordinated with another position for part of their card.
FIRST BASE DRILLS
-Stretch
-Tag out for runner off the bag
-Scoop
-Back hand ground balls (short hops)
-Tag on dive back
-Pick off by catcher (footwork to get back to bag)
-Bunt coverage
SECOND BASE DRILLS
-Tag out at bag
-Three pivots to 2B (double play feed)
-Double play from SS at bag
-Back hand ground balls
-Pop ups between infield and outfield
-Cut off play steal with runner on 1st and 3rd
-Diving to catch ground balls
SHORTSTOP DRILLS
-Back hand ground balls
-Slap tag at 2B
-Feed to 2b on double play
-Pop ups between infield and outfield
-Ground balls in hole, pivot and throw
-Diving to catch ground ball
-Cut off play on steal runners on 1st and 3rd
THIRD BASE DRILLS
-Bail out and cover 3B from in close coverage
-Tag outs at bag
-Back hand ground ball on the line
-Ground ball to your left in front of SS
-Bunt pick up and throw 1B, 2B, 3B
-Diving to catch a ground ball
-Foul pop ups near the fence/dugout
CATCHER DRILLS
-Framing strikes
-Scoop dirt pitches
-Block and tag at plate
-Wild pitches
-Pop outs in front of plate
-Pop outs near backstop
-Bad pitch inside & outside
-Steal throw mechanics at 2nd and 3rd base
-Pickoff throws runners on 1st and 3rd
PITCHERS
-Fielding ground balls to your left and right
-Mechanics of bunt coverage and throws
-Pop Ups
-Wild pitch coverage at the plate
-Pointing up to the side of a pop up to the catcher
-Covering first base on ground ball
-Backing up third and home plate on throws from the outfield
-Work with catchers on intentional walks
OUTFIELD
-Side to side range
-Up and back range
-One down on ground ball
-Crow hopping
-Backing each other up
-Tweeners in the gaps
-Coordination between infield, outfield, on short fly ball
-Diving to catch a ball
-Diving to cut off a ball going gap
Which Foot?
Most inexperienced infielders do not realize that putting the wrong foot on the bag during a force-out can give the runner an advantage. Quite often I see players even at the high school level who do not know that it makes a difference.
An infielder should (most of the time) put her throwing side foot on the bag during a force-out play. This gives her more mobility in stretching for an errant throw and gives her the ability to reach her glove hand several feet father toward the ball when catching. This can save her those precious tenths of a second between "safe and out."
If the player puts her glove side foot on the bag, catching a throw to her throwing side becomes an almost impossibile task... and throws at her feet will handcuff her or require an outstanding scoop catch.
As with anything, there are exceptions such as the right-handed 1st baseman taking an inside throw from home but generally "an infielder should place her throwing side foot on the bag" and reach toward the ball.
Training Drills
I have several drills that have proven successful for many different age groups. The first one is to stop overstriding.
Place a volleyball between your thighs and hit balls off the tee. Proceed to soft toss drill and keep the volleyball between your thighs. This really makes the hitter not overstride. You must keep the volleyball between your thighs at all times. This also keeps the hitter from loosing power by stepping out too early.
The other one I do is with three different colored soda pop lids. I place them in my hand in a triangle shape. I may say blue, blue, blue. The blue lid is placed at the top of the triangle, it simulates an inside pitch. After I call blue, blue, blue, I'll toss the lids and the kid has to turn on the blue lid. We do this using a cut-off broom handle with a grip. This is generally for older girls. It really works well in getting them to concentrate.
One other drill I like is to have them get in the batter's box and take their normal batting stance. They have their glove on. The pitcher throws the ball and the hitter must pivot like she is hitting but instead she catches the ball with her glove. This promotes the recognition of different pitches and how to hit them.
Last but not least, I use an old garden hose. It is around four feet long. It has the very end taped about four inches up the hose. The girls must hit wiffle balls off the tee with this hose. If you do not pivot correctly, then the hose will not straighten and you cannot hit the ball solidly.
One more. I have many fathers that think baseball swings and softball swings are the same. I had a clinic and we had the fathers do this drill. I took nerf footballs and cut them in half, we had the fathers place them under their shirts. We then had the fathers put their elbows up and their hands high. The classic baseball type swing. We then had the dads swing at wiffle balls on the tee. Most fathers knocked out the right half of the football. Their elbows hit it every time. We showed the fathers that their girls have to swing around their own body and it is useless to have a girl place her hands, elbows, and shoulders above her center of gravity and power zone. We have the babies, so all of our power is in our hips and down. The fathers finally realized their is an anatomical difference to hitting a fastpitch softball.
We Call It BOBBLE
We Call It BOBBLE
Fun indoor drill...good for a rainy day activity.
Needs: 2 teams, a bucket of incrediballs, bat and a plate.
One team is on Defense past half court line and the other team (Offense) is at bat.
The coach pitches from half court line.
Defense
Defense is scattered past the half court line
Hit ceiling is out.
A catch or clean fielded grounder is out.
Grounder hits court before half line is out.
Swing and a miss is out.
Offense
Batters get unlimited amounts of consecutive points but only 1 out.
If a player hits grounder through defense to the back wall = 1 pt.
Line drive to back wall=3 pts.
Fly back wall= 1 pts.
If there are hoops a drive to the opposing backboard is a slam. The offense screams slam for 4 pts.
If a fielder BOBBLES a grounder or drops a fly the opposing team screams bobble and earns 5 pts.
Once a team hits through the order you switch.
Both teams must scream their score between each pitch, if a team forgets a score they go back to 0 pts.
This drill is fun after the first day of learning the rules. It uses hitting, fielding, as well as communication and is very fast and competitive. Take the fielders and line them up in a straight line. With plenty of space in between each one, line them up one behind the other away from the coach. Number each player such that the first person is number one, second is number two, and so on.
To execute the drill, the coach hits a hard grounder and calls one of the numbers at the same time. That number must field it, while the others step out of the way. The coach should randomly vary the numbers, so that each fielder has a chance to field a grounder and none can predict whose turn it is.
This drill teaches quick reflexes and clear thinking under pressure.
Tennis Ball Drop
Proper running form is essential to having speed on the bases and in particular in getting down the line to first base as quickly as possible. I have seen a lot of players who run on their heels or who run straight up. The proper form for a batter or base runner is to angle their bodies as they begin and then slowly to straighten up as they gain speed. There is a great drill that can help in teaching proper form in running.
Have your hitter stand without a bat and simulate standing in the batter's box. You stand about 10-15 feet away simulating a point down the first base line. Have your hitter make a swing and then you drop a tennis ball from about shoulder height (I generally have a piece of wood that I have the ball bounce on so that it bounces fairly high). The hitter must get out of the batter's box and run toward the ball and try to catch it before it hits the ground a second time. They cannot do this if they are standing stright up. They must angle their upper bodies to get to the ball before it bounces a second time.
Doing this a couple of times a week can really help establish proper muscle memory and lower your teams' times to first base.
1,2,3
Hello, my name is Coach Stacey Baker and I coach High School Girls Softball in Camden, Tennessee.
One of my favorite fielding drill is what I call the: (1, 2, 3 drill). This drill is great for both infielders as well as outfielders.
This is a line drive and pop up fielding drill which teaches players to catch three types of flyballs.
1) a line drive right at them,
2) a line drive that they must stretch for,
3) and last a flyball that they must sprint to catch. This is how the drill works.
Line your players up in a single file line, players should start on the fair line just behind first base at the edge of the outfield grass. The coach will be in right-center field with a bucket of balls. The players will be running in a straight line about 50 to 60 feet away from the coach. (Running from first towards second.) One player at a time and they need their gloves.
The coach starts by throwing a line drive right at the players, the player catches it and will still running the coach throws the second ball in front of the player making her reach to catch it, while the player is still running the coach throws the third ball, which is a high pop fly out away from the player that she must track down and catch it. After player one has been she returns to the back of the line and it is time for the next player.
Keys importance to this drill:
1) Once the players starts running (she never stops nor hesitates) she sprints all the way, catching all the balls on the run.
2) Once the players catches a ball she quickly throws it down and looks for the next ball.
3) After the player has finish she retreats and picks up the three balls and gets in the back of the line. (balls on the ground may cause a twisted ankle)
4) The coach needs to be quick and accurate with his/her throws. A line drive right at them starts it off, then the second throw must be where they reach out for, and the last throw is a fly ball out away from the player which they must hustle down and catch.
5) This drill really works on catches you may encounter during a game.
6) There is a big difference between running and sprinting we like our players to sprint while doing this drill.
Hope you can use this drill and I hope I did a good job explaining this drill.
Hands To The Ball
I know this drill is old as the hills but I've found it to be rather effective when teaching younger hitters to hit.
Have the batter set up approximately 3ft. from a fence in her batting stance just as she would at the plate. With one exception, have her bat resting on her shoulder. The coach then tosses a ball up to her, the batter must then attempt to hit the ball with only the butt (End cap on the handle) of the bat. Since I work with fairly young girls I have to remind them on a daily basis NO SWINGING ALLOWED! The coach can toss the ball in various locations (High, Low, Inside, Outside, etc.,...).
This drills teaches the girls to move there head/eyes (Or as I like to say keep there nose on the ball; Because if you can point your nose at something you have to keep both eyes on it.) to and with the ball and take there hands to the ball as opposed to just swinging and hoping for the best. Hope this helps.
Seeing the Ball and Consistency
If your team is having a problem hitting the ball, chances are, they are having a problem in a couple of different areas:
a. Seeing the ball
b. recognizing the pitch
c. making consistent contact
d. following through and hitting "through the ball"
The following drills can help this. To help your team "see" the ball better and recognize the pitches, there are a couple of things you can do.
The first thing is to have some of your players come out on pitching practice evenings. If your team has additional practices for pitchers than for the entire team, ask some of the position players to attend these practices. After the pitchers get loose and start to work on their pitches and locations, have one of the position players put on a helmet and stand in the batter's box just watching pitches. Have them tell you how the ball is rotating. If they cannot see this at first, tell them to keep concentrating on the ball and they soon will be able to tell you how the ball is rotating. Have the pitching coach explain the rotations of different pitches so that they will be able to see the rotations and be able to identify the drops, riseballs, curves, etc. This will help your team see the ball better and be able to know where it is going. It will also teach them to follow the ball all the way to contact with the bat.
To help your team make more consistent contact on the ball try the following drill. Get a bat, a few tennis balls, a few practice whiffle golf balls and a bag of black eyed peas. If you can, get a "ThunderStick" or make one out of a smaller diameter piece of round wood with grips and a little weight in the end to make the bat weight about 22-24 ounces. The main thing here is that you want the "bat" to be a smaller diameter and length than a regulation bat. Start out with the regulation bat. Soft-toss regulation balls at the hitters (have them hit into a net). Then start going smaller with the balls. Soft-toss some of the tennis balls and when they can hit those, soft-toss the whiffle balls. When they can hit the whiffle balls, start soft-tossing the black eyed peas. When your team can hit those, the regulation sized softballs will look like beach balls. If you can get a ThunderStick or something similar, try the same drill with the smaller diameter bat. This will fine tune the hand-eye coordination of your hitters and make them deadly hitters.
I need to say something about the toss of soft-toss. The toss is not some big old high arcing, ugly, slow pitch thing. It is a crisp toss to the stride thigh of the hitter. You want them to hit the ball out in front so adjust your toss accordingly. I do not like my players to soft-toss to other players because the tosses usually get really ugly and you lose all benefits of this drill, but that is just my opinion.
Finally, on follow through...there are 2 drills that can help. The first one involves having a sandbag or old punching bag (you can get one from a used sporting goods store). Place some sand in the bag until it is full and tie it to a pole, allowing enough room for a hitter to be able to hit the bag. When the hitter hits the bag (very slow swing) have them follow all the way through until the bat passes under the punching bag. Make sure the rope holding the bag is adjustable for the height of all of your players.
Another drill you can do is the basketball drill. Take an old basketball that will not hold air and place it on a cone (old construction cones work great and if you ask the foreman of a construction crew, they will probably give you an old one). You may have to cut off the top part of the cone to allow the ball to sit atop the cone without falling. Now have one player place the ball on the cone and one hit the ball off the cone. BOTH PLAYER MUST WEAR HELMETS. MAKE SURE THAT 90% OF THE AIR IS OUT OF THE BALL. The reason for the helmets is that the bat may bounce off the ball if not hit hard enough. Have the hitter drive through the ball after the initial contact has been made. Both of these drills teach follow through.
Try these drills and your team will be better at "seeing" ball and making consistent contact with it. In a later tip, we will focus on mechanics and timing of the stride.
Cheers
Girl softball players love to cheer. They can remember all the words to all the cheers and when one of the group sings out a phrase, the others all know the response. Coaches can use this to help teach fundamentals.
When coaches are teaching fundamentals to young players they should couple the lesson with a simple verbal command. For instance, when you teach the "ready position" for fielders, always call out "READY POSITION!" and teach the players to respond by assuming the position immediately and calling back with a loud "growl" or something that matches the team's name. (ie the snakes can hisssss, or the Patriots can yell "Let's Roll")
When you teach them to think about what they will do if the ball is hit to them in a certain situation, give the stimulus, "Who wants the ball?". The response can be "I've Got It!" This reminds the girls to think about what they will do in this situation if the ball is hit to her.
By having linked these lessons to a cheer or verbal stimulus, you can quickly remind every girl on the field at once without having to scream out instructions over the roar of the crowd and the visual effect of all of the team doing this together makes an impression on the opposition as well as your fans.
Cheers!
Contact Drill
I like to finish batting practice by having a contact drill. This drill only takes 7-10 minutes.
All players line up next to the dugout with their bat and helmet ready to hit. Each batter gets 1 pitch, regardless if it is a strike or not, and must make contact.
A foul ball is good, a bunted ball must stay in fair territory. Each player that swings and misses, grabs his/her glove and shags balls. The players that make contact return to the end of the line for there next chance. Keep going until you have 1 player left.
I use a pitching machine and usually have to crank the speed up towards the end. After all balls have been picked up, I usually have all the players except the winner of the contact drill sprint to the outfield fence and back. The 2nd place finisher only has to run half the distance.
This tip was contributed by Coach Doug.
Throwing Form
In watching warm ups and in particular, throwing warm ups, the main problem I spotted in players trying to make the team was their throwing motion. Granted, some of the players had been taught the correct form for throwing the ball, but a lot had absolutely horrid form. Here are a few drills to fine tune your throwing form.
The bringing back of the throwing hand is done is a graceful, arching movement. The hand swings back and up, with the ball facing backward at the top of the arch. This can be practiced by having someone standing about 5 feet directly behind you. Take a ball and from the hand in glove position (as if the ball were just fielded) separate the hands with the ball hand swinging first down, then back and up until you throwing arm bicep is parallel with the ground and you have a 90 degree angle with you forearm pointing up and the ball facing backwards. Looking at this motion from the third base side (right handed thrower) the ball hand starts at 9:00 O"clock, swings down to 6:00 o'clock then up to 12:00 o"clock. If you release the ball at about 3:00 o"clock (for the drill) and your form is correct, the ball should be easily caught by the person standing behind you. If the ball goes to the left or right of the catcher, you are not using a proper path for your arm. Practice this drill until you have the proper arm motion, then, instead of releasing the ball, go into your throwing motion, striding with your lead foot and following through.
If you need additional work on this motion, try the load and go drill. Stand with your weight evenly distributed between both feet and in the position of already haven taken your stride, with hips facing towards third base(right handed thrower)Transfer your weight to the rear foot and lift the front foot off the ground. As you come forward with the ball in the throwing motion, transfer your weight back to your lead foot and make a throw.
If you work on this drill, it will improve your accuracy and distance.
This tip was contributed by Coach Mike. More tips like this one can be found at www.eteamz.com/company/instruction.
a. Seeing the ball
b. recognizing the pitch
c. making consistent contact
d. following through and hitting "through the ball"
The following drills can help this. To help your team "see" the ball better and recognize the pitches, there are a couple of things you can do.
The first thing is to have some of your players come out on pitching practice evenings. If your team has additional practices for pitchers than for the entire team, ask some of the position players to attend these practices. After the pitchers get loose and start to work on their pitches and locations, have one of the position players put on a helmet and stand in the batter's box just watching pitches. Have them tell you how the ball is rotating. If they cannot see this at first, tell them to keep concentrating on the ball and they soon will be able to tell you how the ball is rotating. Have the pitching coach explain the rotations of different pitches so that they will be able to see the rotations and be able to identify the drops, riseballs, curves, etc. This will help your team see the ball better and be able to know where it is going. It will also teach them to follow the ball all the way to contact with the bat.
To help your team make more consistent contact on the ball try the following drill. Get a bat, a few tennis balls, a few practice whiffle golf balls and a bag of black eyed peas. If you can, get a "ThunderStick" or make one out of a smaller diameter piece of round wood with grips and a little weight in the end to make the bat weight about 22-24 ounces. The main thing here is that you want the "bat" to be a smaller diameter and length than a regulation bat. Start out with the regulation bat. Soft-toss regulation balls at the hitters (have them hit into a net). Then start going smaller with the balls. Soft-toss some of the tennis balls and when they can hit those, soft-toss the whiffle balls. When they can hit the whiffle balls, start soft-tossing the black eyed peas. When your team can hit those, the regulation sized softballs will look like beach balls. If you can get a ThunderStick or something similar, try the same drill with the smaller diameter bat. This will fine tune the hand-eye coordination of your hitters and make them deadly hitters.
I need to say something about the toss of soft-toss. The toss is not some big old high arcing, ugly, slow pitch thing. It is a crisp toss to the stride thigh of the hitter. You want them to hit the ball out in front so adjust your toss accordingly. I do not like my players to soft-toss to other players because the tosses usually get really ugly and you lose all benefits of this drill, but that is just my opinion.
Finally, on follow through...there are 2 drills that can help. The first one involves having a sandbag or old punching bag (you can get one from a used sporting goods store). Place some sand in the bag until it is full and tie it to a pole, allowing enough room for a hitter to be able to hit the bag. When the hitter hits the bag (very slow swing) have them follow all the way through until the bat passes under the punching bag. Make sure the rope holding the bag is adjustable for the height of all of your players.
Another drill you can do is the basketball drill. Take an old basketball that will not hold air and place it on a cone (old construction cones work great and if you ask the foreman of a construction crew, they will probably give you an old one). You may have to cut off the top part of the cone to allow the ball to sit atop the cone without falling. Now have one player place the ball on the cone and one hit the ball off the cone. BOTH PLAYER MUST WEAR HELMETS. MAKE SURE THAT 90% OF THE AIR IS OUT OF THE BALL. The reason for the helmets is that the bat may bounce off the ball if not hit hard enough. Have the hitter drive through the ball after the initial contact has been made. Both of these drills teach follow through.
Try these drills and your team will be better at "seeing" ball and making consistent contact with it. In a later tip, we will focus on mechanics and timing of the stride.
When coaches are teaching fundamentals to young players they should couple the lesson with a simple verbal command. For instance, when you teach the "ready position" for fielders, always call out "READY POSITION!" and teach the players to respond by assuming the position immediately and calling back with a loud "growl" or something that matches the team's name. (ie the snakes can hisssss, or the Patriots can yell "Let's Roll")
When you teach them to think about what they will do if the ball is hit to them in a certain situation, give the stimulus, "Who wants the ball?". The response can be "I've Got It!" This reminds the girls to think about what they will do in this situation if the ball is hit to her.
By having linked these lessons to a cheer or verbal stimulus, you can quickly remind every girl on the field at once without having to scream out instructions over the roar of the crowd and the visual effect of all of the team doing this together makes an impression on the opposition as well as your fans.
Cheers!
Contact Drill
I like to finish batting practice by having a contact drill. This drill only takes 7-10 minutes.
All players line up next to the dugout with their bat and helmet ready to hit. Each batter gets 1 pitch, regardless if it is a strike or not, and must make contact.
A foul ball is good, a bunted ball must stay in fair territory. Each player that swings and misses, grabs his/her glove and shags balls. The players that make contact return to the end of the line for there next chance. Keep going until you have 1 player left.
I use a pitching machine and usually have to crank the speed up towards the end. After all balls have been picked up, I usually have all the players except the winner of the contact drill sprint to the outfield fence and back. The 2nd place finisher only has to run half the distance.
This tip was contributed by Coach Doug.
Throwing Form
In watching warm ups and in particular, throwing warm ups, the main problem I spotted in players trying to make the team was their throwing motion. Granted, some of the players had been taught the correct form for throwing the ball, but a lot had absolutely horrid form. Here are a few drills to fine tune your throwing form.
The bringing back of the throwing hand is done is a graceful, arching movement. The hand swings back and up, with the ball facing backward at the top of the arch. This can be practiced by having someone standing about 5 feet directly behind you. Take a ball and from the hand in glove position (as if the ball were just fielded) separate the hands with the ball hand swinging first down, then back and up until you throwing arm bicep is parallel with the ground and you have a 90 degree angle with you forearm pointing up and the ball facing backwards. Looking at this motion from the third base side (right handed thrower) the ball hand starts at 9:00 O"clock, swings down to 6:00 o'clock then up to 12:00 o"clock. If you release the ball at about 3:00 o"clock (for the drill) and your form is correct, the ball should be easily caught by the person standing behind you. If the ball goes to the left or right of the catcher, you are not using a proper path for your arm. Practice this drill until you have the proper arm motion, then, instead of releasing the ball, go into your throwing motion, striding with your lead foot and following through.
If you need additional work on this motion, try the load and go drill. Stand with your weight evenly distributed between both feet and in the position of already haven taken your stride, with hips facing towards third base(right handed thrower)Transfer your weight to the rear foot and lift the front foot off the ground. As you come forward with the ball in the throwing motion, transfer your weight back to your lead foot and make a throw.
If you work on this drill, it will improve your accuracy and distance.
This tip was contributed by Coach Mike. More tips like this one can be found at www.eteamz.com/company/instruction.
The bringing back of the throwing hand is done is a graceful, arching movement. The hand swings back and up, with the ball facing backward at the top of the arch. This can be practiced by having someone standing about 5 feet directly behind you. Take a ball and from the hand in glove position (as if the ball were just fielded) separate the hands with the ball hand swinging first down, then back and up until you throwing arm bicep is parallel with the ground and you have a 90 degree angle with you forearm pointing up and the ball facing backwards. Looking at this motion from the third base side (right handed thrower) the ball hand starts at 9:00 O"clock, swings down to 6:00 o'clock then up to 12:00 o"clock. If you release the ball at about 3:00 o"clock (for the drill) and your form is correct, the ball should be easily caught by the person standing behind you. If the ball goes to the left or right of the catcher, you are not using a proper path for your arm. Practice this drill until you have the proper arm motion, then, instead of releasing the ball, go into your throwing motion, striding with your lead foot and following through.
If you need additional work on this motion, try the load and go drill. Stand with your weight evenly distributed between both feet and in the position of already haven taken your stride, with hips facing towards third base(right handed thrower)Transfer your weight to the rear foot and lift the front foot off the ground. As you come forward with the ball in the throwing motion, transfer your weight back to your lead foot and make a throw.
If you work on this drill, it will improve your accuracy and distance.
This tip was contributed by Coach Mike. More tips like this one can be found at www.eteamz.com/company/instruction.